교란
Disruption
Episode 5.
[Eungae Gyoryong: I just left the East, and now the East is spread out before me again.]
“Image Attached”
-I left the East, and now there’s more East. But are these things actually good?
I pretended not to know and asked, but the replies that came rushing in right away really got my blood boiling.
└Yoseon (178.1): I don’t know, but more Self-Exceeding Herbs or something... ?? What the heck is that? Is there really stuff like that in the Eastern Region??
└Yoseon (333.3): Whoa, I wonder how much all that costs.
└ManyTails: Isn’t that the Yanghe Staircase? You mean that’s just lying around in the Eastern Region...!?
└Eungae Gyo-ryong: What’s that, you pervert?
└Heukpung: The Yangheo Stairs. It’s the Flesh Danro, one of the extremely rare danros.
Flesh Danro (Fleshly Body Cauldron).
[Eungae Gyoryong: What’s a Flesh Alchemy Furnace…?]
After doing a quick search, I found out that a Flesh Alchemy Furnace isn’t just a simple cauldron—it’s an alchemy furnace crafted using modern techniques with various materials.
Simply put, it’s a furnace that allows you to treat the furnace itself as if it were a part of your body.
So what’s the difference?
If you ask that, the difference is stark.
In general alchemy, the dominant method involves lighting a fire in the alchemical furnace and adding medicinal ingredients to refine them.
However, with the Flesh Alchemy Furnace, you first put it in your mouth and refine it inside your body!!
[Eungae Gyo-ryong: Why on earth would you do something like that...?]
In novels and games, alchemical pills usually explode at some point, right? If you put that inside your stomach, wouldn’t you die if it fails?
[Yoseon (124.1): If that’s actually one of the physical alchemical pills—the Yangheo-gye Dan—it won’t explode or anything if the refinement fails. One of the reasons physical alchemy exists in the first place is that there’s no risk of it exploding even if you fail, and the medicinal effects accumulate as intended.]
One of the Yoxians, who seems to have quite a deep understanding of alchemy, answered my question.
Among physical alchemy formulas, the one called the “Yanghe Stage” is apparently both rare and considered the most stable.
[Many Tails: Since it’s a Wu-Gye path to begin with, it grows along with the Immortal’s cultivation level. The more effort you put in, the more it grows with you, so even high-rank refinement paths become easy to complete once your cultivation level rises.]
└Immortal (66.66): It’s truly a path made for Immortals. I suppose you get what you pay for.
[SunlightIsThisWorld: That’s not the kind of treasure you can buy just because you have money. I’m curious about Eaegyo-ryong’s background. To have a physical cultivation path like that starting from the Self-Confidence Stage…]
└Yoseon (789.56): I’m so jealous of those born with a silver spoon. I can’t even begin to think about a physical cultivation path—I usually just chew up some herbs, try to refine them through Sammae Evolution inside my body, and end up burning them all to ashes.
└Yoseon (566.5): Us “dirt-spoon” Yoseons usually just tough it out with our bodies… Eungae is a very special case.
└Yoseon (178.1): Gold-spoon, you’re dead T_T
“Hehe.”
Feeling good, a laugh slips out before I even realize it. I’m not entirely sure, but I guess it’s supposed to be really great?
I didn’t know this before, but apparently, most Yoseon practice alchemy inside their stomachs—which they call the “Internal Alchemy Furnace” (Inner Core Furnace).
However, this is considered bad because impure energy can accumulate there. Those of unclear lineage or without powerful backers are said to have no choice but to use the Internal Alchemy Furnace to practice alchemy inside their bodies, even if they’d rather not.
Still, it’s not all bad—since it allows them to quickly and easily enhance their medicinal properties, many Yoxians prefer this method.
“I see. Since they’re Yoxians, their alchemy practices are definitely different from those of human alchemists.”
Even though it’s a method that would make a human shudder, it doesn’t seem to be much of a burden for the demon cultivators.
Then again, they are beings whose physical durability is fundamentally different from that of humans.
“By the way, the ‘Physical Body Refinement Path.’ Does that mean I have to eat this too if I want to practice cultivation?”
Come to think of it, I do seem to recall seeing old masters in the Cultivators’ Guild occasionally pull cauldrons out of their mouths to attack.
I thought it was pretty bizarre at the time, but actually, wasn’t it a pretty efficient method?
“So first, they soften the cauldron to reduce its volume, put it in their stomach, and then ignite it using Sammae Jin-hwa? Mm-hmm, since it’s inside the body, they handle everything with spiritual energy. I guess even a Yosu that hasn’t been burned at the stake could be refined using this method.”
For spiritual beasts, this might actually be a more traditional method than I thought.
After all, there are spiritual beasts that aren’t burned at the stake.
On top of that, the Physical Body Refining Furnace is a specially crafted furnace designed with stability as the top priority!
There wasn’t any particular danger, nor was there a risk of impure energy accumulating in the body.
Now that I know about the Physical Body Refining Furnace, it’s time to look up the “Wuji Rank” within the Yanghe Tier.
When I searched for it, as expected for such a famous treasure, a variety of posts came up.
“The Yanghe Staircase… Just by cultivating it within your body, it purifies impure energy and boosts Yang efficacy. It’s a real treasure, isn’t it? Just how much could I get if I sold this??”
They say it’s so difficult to make that the price is whatever the seller asks.
Plus, it’s a Wugui-grade item.
Once refined, it’s a Danluo that grows alongside its owner, so its value is limitless depending on how you nurture it.
“I was just joking, but am I really a silver spoon?”
It might be true.
But in the back of my mind, another wave of anxiety surged.
‘Could this be one of Jin Xian’s schemes to raise me up and exploit me?’
It’s a plot twist that pops up every now and then in martial arts novels.
It’s the kind of scenario where a Immortal arranges for a rare spirit beast in the Lower Realm to grow on its own, and when the time comes, declares, “The fruit is ripe!” and comes to gobble it up.
My heart leans toward the former, but I can’t rule out the latter possibility either.
“Well, even if that’s the case, there’s not much I can do about it anyway.”
Whether it’s a setup or a gesture of consideration, all I have to do is make good use of it.
I’ve decided to call this room the “Artistry Room.”
Just as the flames on Yangheo’s Staircase began to die down a bit, another post appeared.
[Human-Hater: I’ve tried to figure out Eungae Gyo-ryong’s origins.]
-Given the presence of various art treasures, including the Yanghe Staircase, as well as the Dogol Divine Book, it’s highly likely that the [Eungae Gyo-ryong] comes from a long-established lineage of Gyo-ryong. I understand that certain races that inherit this bloodline have a tradition of sending their young to the Lower Realm to grow on their own, and the [Eungae Gyo-ryong]’s situation matches that exactly.
└Black Wind: I’ve heard of that, too. In such cases, it’s highly likely a tradition within the clan to avoid internal strife caused by fierce succession battles.
└Many Tails: So are you saying [Eungae Gyo-ryong] is a descendant of the Venerable of the Spirit Realm?
└SuriSuri: It’s highly likely, but not certain. Still, judging by the fact that they’ve created a place like that, it’s clear they’re no ordinary lineage.
They’re not an ordinary lineage.
The very fact that they’re Dragon-Beasts in the first place means they’re a race with an extraordinary lineage.
Among the Yosu, Dragon-Beasts are considered the cream of the crop.
└Yoseon (178.1): Or maybe it’s a Jinseon who was sent to hunt down the Gyo-ryong.
└Eungae Gyo-ryong: No unlucky talk allowed!
└SunlightIsThisWorld: It’s not an impossible scenario.
└Yoseon (333.3): Beings from the Upper Realm do pull off absurd stunts every now and then. As beings of the Lower Realm, we can’t even begin to fathom it.
As expected, the reactions were just as I’d imagined.
Of course, there are also quite a few Yoseon who are interested in the other side.
[Yoseon (124.1): That “Dogeol Shinseo” [I Hate Humans] mentioned—could it be that?]
└HatesHumans: I don’t know what that is, but it’s the one that’s generally known. I’m surprised by the Yanghe Realm, but given the existence of the *Dogol Shinseo*, I’m leaning toward the idea that [Eungae Gyoryong]’s background is extraordinary.
*Dogol Shinseo*?
What on earth is that?
[Eungae Gyoryong: What is that?]
*Dogol Shinseo*? What is that?
└Yoseon (66.66): It’s a pretty famous sacred text. It’s a book that records the state of one’s spiritual energy by infusing a single drop of blood and vital energy into it.
└Yoseon (12.12): I’ve heard that most Celestial Sect disciples from the Great Sect take time to check the Dogo Shinseo to ensure there are no errors in their cultivation.
From what I’ve heard, roughly speaking.
“So, in short, is it a treasure like a status window?”
The Book of the New Bone (Dao Bone’s New Book).
It was indeed a book with that title.
I thought it was just a martial arts manual lying around the training ground, but I never imagined it would be such a treasure.
[Black Wind: Even the *Dogol Sinseo* has different grades. Counterfeits modeled after the original *Dogol Sinseo* are scattered all over the world, so it’s not really that surprising.]
└Many Tails: I’ve also heard there are many counterfeits of the *Dogol Sinseo*. I heard that even counterfeits have ranks, and the benefits they provide vary depending on their quality.
└TurtleTurtle: Fakes don’t really mean much anyway. But if it happens to be a fragment that broke off from the genuine article, that alone would be a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck. I guess [Hates Humans] thinks it’s one of those fragments.
└Hates Humans: If there’s a being capable of arranging a treasure of that caliber, it’s highly likely.
They’re having a pretty serious conversation.
They’re getting way too serious—I might actually be a little scared!
[Eungae Gyo-ryong: How do you even know if it’s real or fake?]
-Anyone care to tell me?
└Yoseon (178.1): For free? Sell me one more Jashimcho, and I’ll tell you right away.
└Yoseon (444.44): Naked?
└Yoseon (124.1): Why are you always looking for naked people, Yoseon (444.44)?
└Yoseon (444.44): Because there are naked people there.
└Yoseon (777.54): Whoa! That’s insightful.
After a string of sluggish and messy replies, some useful veteran users began to chime in.
└White-Haired Demon: If you let a drop of blood fall, you’ll find out naturally.
I’ve never seen this veteran user before.
But it felt somewhat familiar—it was the name I’d seen when browsing items at the Yo Gyeong Pavilion.
“Let a drop of blood fall?”
I bit my thumb with my fangs and let a single drop of blood fall.
Then, thud—.
Accompanied by a humming sound, the Dogol Divine Book swished open and began to emit a soft glow.
“Ooh.”
As I stood there in surprise, the light grew stronger and stronger until it condensed into a single point and pierced through my body in an instant.
“Yikes!”
I was startled, but felt no pain.
Observing it with my spiritual sense, it seemed to have entered my abdomen.
It hadn’t gone through the process of “Yehwa” (cultivating the Dharma Treasure); it had simply entered as if it were already a part of my body.
“What… what is this…”
As I observed my body and gently touched the Dogol Divine Book with my spiritual sense, a portion of the book appeared in my mind.
Only two characters came to mind at first.
Gyo-ran (Jiaolan).
“Gyo,” meaning “dragon,” and “ran,” meaning “wave.”
These characters were etched deeply into my mind.
Immediately afterward, various phrases rained down in my mind like raindrops.
But the characters “Gyo-ran” wouldn’t leave my mind.
Because.
“That’s my name.”
The “ran” in “Gyo-ga.”
I instinctively sensed that “Gyo-ran” was my name. It was because these two characters alone stirred a deep, poignant emotion within me.
“Gyo-ran.”
A hundred years since my birth.
I had long since forgotten my previous name.
The fact that I had gained a name once more—that I had been given one—somehow felt like compensation for all the loneliness I had endured.